To maintain an ecological balance within an aquarium, it is necessary to keep the water in the aquarium clean. Cleaning is often accomplished by pumping water from the aquarium to a filter device, filtering the water through a filter medium, and returning the filtered water to the aquarium.
As aquarium water passes through the filter media, various particulates trapped by the media can gradually slow or block the passage of water through the media. Thus, it is necessary for the user to periodically remove and replace the filter media. As can be understood, the filter media is typically submerged within the filter housing during operation, and is therefore saturated with water when initially removed from the filter housing. A user is therefore required to either hold the filter media over the aquarium until the water drains from the media, or attempt to dispose of the filter media without dripping water on electrical components or other items or articles that can either be damaged or stained from the water.
Also, aquarium water is often heated to maintain a particular temperature range within the aquarium for the fish. Covers positioned on top of filter housings are frequently subject to condensation caused by the temperature differential between the heated aquarium water contained within the filter housing and the ambient room temperature. In conventional arrangements, when the cover is lifted and removed, a user must again take care to not drip the condensation onto electrical components or other items.
In general, improvement has been sought with respect to such arrangements, generally to accommodate ease of use and improved safety and convenience.